It Began with a Prank
by Teddylonglong
Summary: ONE-SHOT. In their first Hogwarts year, the Weasley twins use a prank wisely - with far reaching consequences for Britain's magical world. Just a drabble. Completely AU.


**It began with a prank**  
 **by Teddylonglong**

 _All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story.  
I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes._

* * *

Fred and George Weasley had to try hard to keep their giggles at bay, when they left their dormitory very early on a Monday morning, two weeks before the end of their first Hogwarts year. The evening before, they had begged their older brother Percy to transfigure a small pile of tissues into two screw drivers along with a couple of other useful tools, which they would probably need for their plan. Percy had not even been suspicious at their more than strange request for muggle items. Only when they had asked him to help them with a complicated spell, part of which they had found in a book, their older brother had given them a lecture to not even think about playing pranks on anyone at Hogwarts.

During the following two hours, the twins busied themselves running through the empty corridors of the castle, taking off the handles of all doors on their way – classroom doors, doors to the wash rooms, toilets and broom cupboards, collecting all handles, screws and whatever they disassembled in Fred's book bag.

When they decided that it was enough and that it was getting too close to breakfast time to continue with the first part of their project, they emptied the content of Fred's book bag into one of the suits of armor standing in the corridor near the entrance hall and charmed the armor to fart out the objects one after another and then catch them again with the hole that was supposed to be its mouth. Finally, George cast another charm that would make the process continue unceasingly.

"That's enough…"

"… Filch is going to spend hours…"

"… to put all the handles and locks back," they decided and made their way into the Great Hall for an early breakfast.

Some students gave the doors to the Great Hall strange looks, realising in apparent surprise that the handles were missing, but a quickly cast Alohomora by a seventh-year student made them enter the Great Hall without further thinking.

HP

On this Monday morning, all teachers were busy overseeing the OWL tests, and the twins had two free periods, during the second and third morning class. As could be expected, Mr. Filch was absent from his office, and the twins could not help chuckling at the thought of what he might be doing.

"Time to explore his office," they agreed and, confirming that no one else was nearby, made their way into the caretaker's office, where they spent the following two hours examining the various drawers of his desk and sideboards.

When they left the room shortly before the end of the last morning class, they had buried a huge pile of interesting looking parchments in George's book bag and quickly took their treasure into their dormitory, before they headed to the Great Hall for lunch wearing innocent expressions.

HP

During the remaining two weeks of the school year, they spent every free minute examining their treasures, only to realise in absolute delight that there was a map of Hogwarts among the parchments.

It took the twins a couple of hours to find out how it worked, however, once they managed to activate it, they decided to make use of it as much as possible and leave all the other parchments for the summer holidays.

They soon realised that something was strange about the map though, and the twins made all possible effort to get behind the mystery, however, without success.

"Let's talk with Dad about it," they finally decided, and on the second day of the holidays, they took their father aside.

HP

Arthur Weasley inwardly groaned, when the twins asked him to cast a silencing spell around the three of them. _'Oh Merlin, what have they done now?'_ he wondered with a strange feeling of foreboding.

Showing an utterly surprised Arthur Weasley the map of Hogwarts, which was now only showing a handful of teachers in the castle, the twins explained about their problem.

"Percy's always together with someone…"

"…. Sometimes even in class…"

"… and most disturbingly in bed…"

"… His name's Peter Pettigrew," they explained to their now horrified father.

"Peter Pettigrew is supposed to be dead," Arthur replied, his thoughts going haywire, as he recalled how and especially when Scabbers had shown up to join his family. It had been just a couple of days after the war that Percy had found the rat in the garden and decided to keep it.

"As to who's always with him, it must be Scabbers," he said, slowly. "Maybe he's not a real rat but an Animagus, considering the name which is displayed for him."

Casting the twins a stern look, he decided, "Let's catch that rat and stun it, before he realises that something's up. Then I'm going to call Amelia Bones and inform her about our assumption. I'll try to not tell her about the map, but if necessary, you'll have to show it to her."

"Yes Dad," the twins reassured him, simultaneously, making their father nod in relief. _'As mischievous as they are, they're good kids,'_ he thought, feeling very pleased with his sons, whom his wife always declared as trouble makers.

HP

A couple of hours later, Amelia Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, visited the Weasleys together with two Aurors. While the younger Weasley children were sent to their rooms, the twins and Percy were allowed to watch how the Aurors made the rat transform into a man, whom they proceeded to question under Veritaserum.

"What's going to happen now?"

"… will he still stay with Percy as a rat?" the twins enquired, curiously.

"No," Amelia Bones told them in a firm voice, before she turned to Percy. "Mr. Weasley, I'm sorry to say that we must take your rat from you." A smirk passed over her face, when she continued, "While Peter Pettigrew is going spend the rest of his life in Azkaban, a good friend of mine, who seems to have been wrongly imprisoned, will probably be released, and I'm sure that he'll gladly buy you a new pet."

"I'd prefer an owl then," Percy uttered, causing the twins to grin.

HP

While the twins were waiting what was going to happen, wondering if Percy would really receive an owl, they examined the other parchments, which they had brought from Hogwarts. Many of them were papers from detentions which current professors had served during their time as students, and the twins had so much fun studying them that they almost forgot about the matter.

It was a few weeks later that a young man visited the Weasleys with a ten-year-old boy in tow. The stranger introduced himself as Sirius Black and the boy as his godson Harry Potter – much to the twins' excitement.

He handed Percy a small parchment, which turned out to be a voucher for The Magical Menagerie, before he addressed the twins.

"We just came to thank you for what you did for us," he spoke up. "It was only because of you that I was freed from my unjustified imprisonment in Azkaban and able to rescue my godson from his atrocious relatives."

"You're welcome…"

"… It was our pleasure," the twins replied, grinning broadly.

"Thank you for giving me my godfather. I'm very happy," Harry Potter spoke up, shyly.

"You're welcome…"

"… Friends?" the twins replied, extending their hands, which the younger boy accepted with a huge smile.

"As I can't even express my gratitude in words, I give you this," Black spoke again, handing them a small key. "I made an account at Gringotts for you, equipped with one million Galleons," he explained, only to advise them, "Use it wisely."

The twins stared at each other in delight.

"One million Galleons…"

"… that's enough for a lot of prank items…"

"… so much that we could even make it a business after Hogwarts."

"That would be a wise investment," Black agreed, grinning. "Harry and I are looking forward to it. If you need a Marauder's help, just call."

The twins' eyes widened at the revelation. "You're one of the Marauders?" they blurted out in delight. "It was the Marauders' Map that gave Peter Pettigrew away."

HP

From that time onwards, the twins became good friends with Harry and his godfather Sirius. By the time Harry entered Hogwarts a year later, Sirius together with his friend Remus opened a joke shop at Diagon Alley called "Marauders Miracles", and after another five years, the twins bought Zonko's at Hogsmeade and became the owners of the Hogsmeade branch of Marauders Miracles, which was already well known in Britain's magical world.

 **The End**


End file.
